Twisted strands and the method of producing same



May 28, 1935.

w. M. BRQOKS 2,002,975

TWISTED STRANDS AND THE METHOD OF PRODUCING SAME I Filed Nov. 21, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 z v q 4.9 ,Mirg

22 iii lNVENTOR M/fird/Kfimp/fs ATTO RN EY May 28, 1935. 2,002,975

TWISTED STRANDS AND THE METHOD OF PRODUCING SAME .W, M. BROOKS Fi led Nov. 21, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I NVENTOR WMfWdMBmy/fr ATTORN EY y w. M. BROOKS 2,002,975

TWISTED STRANDS AND THE METHOD OF PRODUCING SAME Filed Nov. 21, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented May 28, 1 935 TWISTED STRANDS AND THE METHOD OF PRODUCING SAME Winfred M. Brooks, West orange, N. J. Application November 21, 1933, Serial No. 698,954

3 Claims.

This invention relates generally to strands of material, and has more particularly reference to a method of twisting a flat and cheer more round wires together and to the product obtained thereby, its main object and feature being the production of a. wire strand that has greater gripping power than those heretofore used in connection with seals made of compressible material such as lead. i

In the accompanying drawings, the invention is disclosed in several concrete and preferred forms in which:

Fig. l is a view, partly in section and partly in I elevation, of one form of wire twisting machine 15 that may be used in carrying out the process and producing the product;

Fig. 2 is view, partly in section and partly in elevation, of the device shown in Fig. 1 looking in the direction of arrow 2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of the upper part of the twisting frame and associated elements, looking at the parts in the same direction as in Fig.

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of the lower part 25 of the twisting frame and associated elements,

looking at the parts in the same direction as in F Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view substantially on the plane of line 55 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a. horizontal sectional detail view substantially on the plane of line 6-6. of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a horizontal sectional detail view substantially on the plane of line 'I-'l of Fig. 4;

Fig. 8 is more or less of a diagrammatic view 35 showing the beginning of the twisting action;

Fig. 9 is also a diagrammatic view showing the completion of the twisting action;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a length of strand showing the wires when first 40 twisted together; 3

Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 10 but showing the wires when more fully twisted together;

Fig. 12 is a transverse sectional view substantially on the plane of line l2-i2 of Fig. 11; v

Fig. 13 is a. sectional view substantially on the plane of line |3--l3 of Fig. 11;

Fig. 14 is a view similar to Fig. 11 but showing a modified form of the invention in which a plurality of round wires are employed; and

Fig. 15 is a view in elevation of a seal made of compressible material in which the strand may be employed.

Referring first to Figs. 11, 12 and 13 it will beseen that I5 indicates a. strand consisting of a flat 55 ire it and around wire ll twisted together in ed on the latter is the frame or head'2 l such way that the round wire is adjacent throughout to one and the same face l6a of the fiat wire.

01, to put it differently, one face [6b of the flat wire is nakedthroughout and side edges l6c of the flat wire are exposed throughout; that is to say, 5 the round wire does not at any time cross the side edges of the fiat wire, but lies in one and the same .helically extending trough of the flat wire throughout the strand. Turning now to Fig. 15,

- l8 indicates a body of compressible material, such 10 as lead, in which one end l5a. of the strand is embedded or molded in position. Said body is usually provided with two openings i811. and l8b through which the free end- I5b of the strand is threaded, after which the body of lead is com- 15 pressed in a manner well understood. It will now be seen that, owing to the naked face of the fiat wire and to its exposed side edges, the lead body will have a much firmer grip on the strand and it will be much more difiicuit than formerly to 20 dislodge it, and that this advantage is accomplished without materially increasing the diameter over that of a strand devoid of a; fiat wire but composed of two or more round wires twisted together. In Fig. 14'is shown a plurality of round wires Ila and llb lying in the trough formed by the same face of the flat wire. This is useful in the same way as above described when employed in connection with a lead sea1r-- we The particular means used to practice the process and to produce the product may, of course, vary greatly, but by way of illustration the following device is disclosed:

I3 is a stationary frame supporting various instrumentalities to be hereinafterdescribed, the chief one of which is a. take-up reel 20. 2i indicates a twisting frame or head. 22 is a motor carried by a part of the framework and connected by means of coupling 23 to shaft 24 and mount- 25 indicates an upper twisting roll and 26 a lower twisting roll. 21, 28 and 29 are guide rolls also carried by the twisting head. Mounted to rotate with the twister head is a gear 30 that meshes with pinion 3| on shaft 32, which latter is also carried by the twister head. At the upper end of shaft 32 is a pinion 33 meshing with a. stationary gear 33a carried by stationary frame l9. At the point where stationary pinion 33a is located, there is a lower bearing 34 for stationary frame l9, and the purpose of shaft 32 and its gears is merely to provide a steadying means for the parts. Shaft 24 can'ies at its upper end a pinion 35 that with a pinion 36 on shaft 31 can'ied by stati'Onary frame i9. Shaft 31 carries two worms 38 and 39 that mesh with worm gears 40 and 4| of feed rollers 42 and 43 mounted on frame l9. Shaft 31 carries a third worm 44 that meshes with worm gear 45 on shaft 46 also on frame l9,-and this latter shaft 46 is provided with a. slip friction clutch 41 that connects it with sprocket 48. Passing over sprocket 48 is a sprocket chain 49 that drives sprocket 50, of strand guide mechanism 5|, and. also drives sprocket 52 which carries a gear 53 that meshes with gear 54 of the take-up reel. -It is unnecessary to describe the details of the strand guide mechanism, suifice it to say that it has a member that travels back and forth to lay the strand on the reel, At its upper end, frame [9 has a bearing 55 in the twisting framell.

Flat wire l5 and round wire I1 are led from suitable sources of supply (not shown) over guides 56 and 51 and through an aperture in bar 58, and thence down through opening 59 centrally of the twisting frame. The wires then'pass over upper twisting roller 25, thence over guide rollers 21, 28 and 29, and then over lower twisting roller 26. From here the product passes through aperture 60 of shaft and thence several times around feed rollers 42 and 43, and then by way of strand guide mechanism 5! to the take-up reel. It will be noted from 8 that the twisting efiect of twisting roller 25 is not merely to twist the flat and the round wires together, but it also produces a preliminary twist of each wire I6 and I1 beforethey are brought together. .The twist in the round wire is not visible, but in the flat wire it The result is that when the wires touch, the twisting action continues on the strand as a unit, and a product substantially like that shown in Fig. 10 is obtained as the result of the action of roller 25. In the present instance it is preferred to subject the strand to additional twisting by means of roller 26 with the result that a product substantially like that shown in Fig. 11 is obtained. The finished product is then wound on the reel by the means previously described, and it will be noted that the reel constitutes a pulling device that advances the two wires at equal speed.

I claim:

1. As a new article of manufacture: a strand consisting of a flat and one or more round wires twisted together, the round wire or wires lying throughout in one and the same helically extending trough formed by one face of the flat wire, the other face of the flat wire being naked throughout.

2. As a new article of manufacture: a strand consisting of a flat and one or more round wires twisted together, the flat wire having its side edges exposed throughout, and the round wire or wires lying throughout in one and the same helically extending trough formed by one face of the fiat wire. a

' 3. The process of twisting a flat and o '"e or more round wires together which consists in:

vtwisting said wires together and laying the round wire or wires, without crossing ;the side edges of the flat wire, in one and the'same helically extending trough formed by one face of the flat wire.

WINFRED M. BROOKS. 

